Last week in esports – PGL major 2017 and Dreamhack Atlanta

We witnessed many twists and turns as we sat down and watched the PGL Major 2017. With favourites who were expected to win the whole tournament going up against each other in the first round and a final no one expected, we were sent on an emotional rollercoaster. While the Major claimed most of the attention, Dreamhack Atlanta crowned their winners.

photo taken by HLTV

Dreamhack Atlanta 2017 – EnVyUs prevails

Even though the Major took most of the spotlight last weekend, it didn’t lessen Dreamhack Atlanta’s appeal, the games were thrilling to watch. The eight participating teams EnVyUs, GODSENT, HellRaisers, Heroic, NRG eSports, Renegades, Binary Dragons and Misfits fought for their share of the 100,000$ prize pool. EnvyUs met the scandinavian team Heroic in the grand finals and even whole they gave up the the first map Overpass with the score 16-11, they came bach and won the two following rounds on Cobblestone and Inferno, with 16-8 and 16-2. GGWP EnvyUs.

PGL Major – a major upset

As fans watched SK Gaming playing Astralis in the first round of the knockout-stage, they were sure, that whoever won that encounter would take the title home. Astralis got the upper hand in the match-up and sent SK home on Cache 12-16 and Overpass with a devastating 06-16. Going up next against Gambit, who was struggling throughout the Major, it seemed like Astralis had already claimed the trophy for themselves. Zeus on the other hand, the teamleader of Gambit, was determined. After being cut from Natus Vincere a year ago, he was hungry for recognition. Declaring his goal in a tweet and pinning it on the top of his page, he was ready to fight until the end. “I am not going to give up before I win a motherfucking major.“ And his time had come.

While Immortals kicked BIG out of the Major, who before kicked FaZe Clan out of the tournament and caused a huge upset, Zeus and his team faced Astralis. The fight was intense and with a score of 2-1 on Overpass 16-10 and Train 16-12 starplayer Dauren “AdreN” Kystaubayev carried his team to victory. Zeus’ goal seemed so close, only one more opponent, only one more obstacle until he was able to fulfill what he so boldly declared a year ago.

One more win to go

The Immortals stood strong in the first round, sweeping Gambit off of their feet with a demolishing 4-16 on Cobblestone. Henrique “HEN1” Teles was the MVP of the match-up with a kill-death-ratio of 22 to 4. Gambit was determined to push through on the next map, Train. Putting pressure on the brazilian team from the terrorist side, the first half of the map ended in a 9-6 for Gambit. Immortals fought back but the pressure from Gambit was too heavy. They struggled and Gambit was able to take the second match on Train 16-11.

The tension grew. One more map to go. The winner of the Major would be decided on Inferno. Gambit decided to start as Counter-terrorists and were able to show in an defensive play, that they wouldn’t be overwhelmed by Immortals. The halftime ended in a 11-4 score. Zeus and his team saw a chance at winning, after Immortals lost a four-on-two retake at 14-10. They pushed through and willed Immortals down with a 16-10 score, not allowing them to take any more wins. Gambit won.

Photograph taken by: HLTV

An emotional statement

For Zeus, everything came full circle. After being dropped by Natus Vincere his goal of winning the Major seemed unlikely, but Gambit saw his potential and offered him the position of team captain. After his win, he released the following statement on Twitter:

I wish to everyone from my heart, if you want to achieve something in life, doesn’t matter what, don’t stop, don’t second guess yourself, listen to your heart, believe, be real, and I promise, some magical powers will help you. Be real, this is the most important part, don’t be rotten, everything in life returns like a boomerang, I know it 100%, but if you don’t betray anyone, if you believe your heart and people respect you, something will help you and you will achieve what you truly want. Guys respect to all of you, I’m shocked from winning the MAJOR, it’s my dream.

This was Danya Zeus,

Take care!

A well deserved win, showing that hardwork can prevail. We are very excited to see what Gambit can achieve in the future.